The Pledge of Allegiance states, “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, ONE Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” However, works by Simone de Beauvoir, Bell Hooks, and Gloria Anzaldua states that women aren’t united and if women aren’t united then men and women are definitely not one. We’re all divided by some aspect of society whether it is race or wealth. So what does it really truly mean to be one people united in this country and do you think that unity will really come?

2 Responses to What is true unity and will we ever reach it?

I think there are different ways to make a nation become one and indivisble. Of course, a nation is made of different people that suffered discrimination through their gender, race or social class, but I truly believe that their are means that can be implemented to make these discriminations disappear.
One way to reach true unity can be to say that “all men are equal” without taking into consideration their race, social class or even gender – men must be understood here as human being- ! This is the case in France where all the citizens are to be considered on the same level and where affirmative action is seen as against the Republican universalist values of the country. I don’t believe this is the solution.
According to me, affirmative action is a good of reaching the one and indivisible nation as it would allow women or men or even black and white women to be on an equal footing thanks to political measures. I believe that a nation has to take into account differences between the citizens and work to make discriminations disappear. If it was mandatory to pay women the exact same amount as men, then I would say that this nation is one and that it gives liberty and justices for all the citizens. But it is not the case yet.

When I read the Pledge of Allegiance and think about gender roles that exist, I instead focus on the word “indivisible”. It is not that we aren’t one nation comprised of both men and women, but that we are one nation comprised of men and women who are divided. Within this simple division of women and men, we also see a division between women, due to different culture, race and ethnicity of individuals. The authors agree that for the feminist movement to be truly successful, women must take into account the differences that do exist and attempt to understand other women. Certainly, this is a nice idea, but it is completely unrealistic. Classism, racism and other “isms” would have to be obliterated for people to become united. Even with a few extremely influential feminist women striving to recognize these differences and see past them, there is no denying the fact that women make up 50% of the population. I believe women have moved toward equality because they have proved themselves outside of the household, not because women of different classes, races and ethnic groups have begun to come together. Strong differences prevent unity, and on a harsher degree, create conflict. Whether it is differences in religion, socioeconomic class or ethnicity, a great deal of division is natural for people – we tend to feel the greatest sense of belonging within a group that is consistent with our morals, traditions, upbringing, etc. Therefore, to break the gender barrier would include tackling the many divisions that are independent of the gender gap.